Asaba, Delta State – December 30, 2024: Nigeria is facing a big leadership problem, making it hard for the country to grow and succeed. This issue was discussed by Chris O. O. Biose, CEO of BOLD Publishers Ltd, during a speech in Asaba at a meeting of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council.
Biose painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s political landscape, characterized by rigged elections, widespread corruption, and a lack of commitment from those in power to the country’s true development. “Since the return of civilian rule, Nigeria has struggled to embrace the essence of democracy,” Biose stated. “We have witnessed a series of electoral malpractices, from the 1999 elections all the way through to 2007, when elections were outrightly manipulated.”
The speech highlighted the growing disconnect between nationria’s leadership and its citizens. With power increasingly concentrated in the hands of an elite few, governance has become more about preserving power than advancing national progress. The political party system, once seen as the foundation of democratic engagement, has become a platform for elite manipulation, with little regard for ideological consistency or the broader needs of the Nigerian people.
The Religious and Political Divide: Biose also pointed to the increasing influence of religion in Nigerian politics, particularly the role of the religious elite in exacerbating divisions within the country. The 2015 and 2019 elections, he noted, were significantly shaped by religious affiliations, which deepened the division between different sectarian groups and fueled political unrest. This has had an undeniable impact on Nigeria’s security, with violence spiking as various groups clash over political and religious ideologies.
“The political atmosphere today is one of division, where the leadership reflects the interests of a religious elite rather than the general populace,” Biose emphasized. “This has resulted in ethnic and religious divisions that have undermined Nigeria’s national unity, leadiToutgoioutgoingecurity and social unrest.”
Insecurity and Poverty: The Nation’s Ongoing Struggles: The situation is compounded by rising insecurity and violence, as militant groups, including Fulani herdsmen, continue to wreak havoc across the country. President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, and now under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the country has witnessed an escalation of violence, creating a volatile political climate. Biose’s speech echoed the sentiments of many Nigerians, who feel increasingly alienated from their government.
“The commercialized electoral process and the increasing divide between the ruling elite and ordinary citizens have left Nigeria teetering on the edge of collapse,” Biose warned. “While the country is rich in resources, its people are impoverished, with many regions facing violent land grabs and neglect.”
This growing inequality, coupled with the worsening security situation, has led to widespread dissatisfaction across the nation. zewhichially the youth, are questioning the legitimacy of a political system that fails to address their basic needs and aspirations.
The Path Forward: A Call for Change Despite the challenges, Biose remained hopeful for Nigeria’s future, urging the government and political elites to prioritize national unity, transparency, and the welfare of the people. The country’s leadership, he argued, must undergo a transformative change to move away from its current path of division and stagnation.
“Nigeria cannot afford to continue with the status quo,” Biose said. “We need leaders who genuinely care about the people, who will put national progress above personal or partisan interests. The future of this country depends on the collective efforts of all its republicans we must take responsibility for shaping it.”
As Nigeria faces its ongoing leadership crisis, the speech underscored the urgency of addressing the systemic problems that have hindered the country’s political and social development. For many, the question remains: Can Nigeria rise above its leadership challenges, or will the country continue to suffer the consequences of its political missteps?
Leadership Recruitment in Post-Military Nigeria The outgoing military junta in 1999 had a vested interest in foisting a former military dictator as President. Anyone who has any doubt about how the 1999 presidential election was rigged may wish to read the Final Report of the Carter Center on the 1999 Election in Nigeria.
Shortly after assuming office, former President Olusegun Obasanjo quickly ousted the civilian National Chairman of his party, Chief Solomon Lar, and installed a retired colonel of the Nigerian Army, Col. Ahmadu Alli (retd.), as Chairman of the ruling party. This move set the tone for instability in political foray structures and executive control of political parties in post-military rule in Nigeria.
While General Olusegun Obasanjo’s patriotism was never in doubt, his brash authoritarianism became equally indisputable. The 2003 general election was widely regarded as one of the most comprehensively rigged elections in Nigeria’s electoral history. It was followed by the 2007 election, in which Professor Maurice Iwu-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) simply wrote results, disregarding the voting process. Detailed results of this election have never been made public. In a report submitted to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on December 11, 2008, the Chairman of the Electoral Reform Commission (ERC), Hon. Justice Mohammed Uwais, described it as “the worst since the first elections in Nigeria in 1923.”
The 2011 general elections were relatively free and fair, largely due to the personality of President Goodluck Jonathan, not a change in the behavior of the political class.
Undemocratic Political Parties Since 1999 Political parties formed in Nigeria before independence in 1960 and up to the end of the First Republic defined their objectives and tactics clearly. However, since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1999, political parties have been formed primarily to access political power, rather than to achieve clearly defined national objectives.
The two political parties that have controlled the Federal Government of Nigeria since May 1999 (PDP and APC) are two sides of the same coin. They lack political ideology and have both failed to perform the functions of political parties as earlier enunciated. They have failed to take principled positions on burning issues of the day, let alone educate their members on such issues. Instead, they only wait for election time to print posters, deface the environment, disrupt communities with riotous rallies, and share ill-gotten money to corrupt the electorate.
Rather than consolidating a democratic culture, Nigeria has steadily degenerated into a neo-feudal society, where a small set of individuals determine who will contest elections or get what elective position. It started with the idea of a power shift in 1999 and deteriorated further with the doctrine of zoning political positions to ethnic or geographical areas in advance of voting.
In Nigeria today, unscrupulous men impose themselves as mouthpieces of their clans, local government areas, and states or champions of ethnic and religious groups. As a result, Nigeria in 2024 is politically in a far worse and more precarious position than it was at independence. In 1960, the ruling Northern People’s Congress (NPC) did not mince words about its Northernisation agenda. It proudly and tenaciously held to its slogan of “One North, One Constitution, One Destiny.” In contrast, the Opposition Action Group took every opportunity to parade its socialist credentials and programs.
Leadership Recruitment Pattern Since 2015 The 2015 general election introduced a new social force in the electoral process, marked by explicit religiously loaded campaigns and systematic enforcement or denial of voting. In Southeoccursates, voting was based on accreditation, while in areas favorable to the APC presidential candidate, free thumb printing occurred, with unaccredited voters outnumbering those accredited to vote.
The most outstanding feature of the 8-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari (2015–2023) was the revitalization of the Fulani Jihad (1804–1809), this time through the Jihadist movement and armed Fulani herdsmen, who seized large swaths of the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria through unchecked violence.
Religionization of Political Leadership Recruitment in Nigeria Religion has always played a significant, albeit unspoken, role in leadership recruitment in Nigeria. The religionization of the Nigerian political space began in 1986 with Nigeria’s full membership in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), culminating in the post-election riots of 2011 when over 800 citizens were killed by religious fanatics in Northeast Nigeria.
In 2015, religion became a visible factor in federal elections as religious fanatics openly prevented citizens from voting in their areas of influence. Frustrated with former President Buhari’s failure to fulfill major electoral promises (security, economy, and devolution of power), veteran Northern politician Alhaji Tanko Yakasai publicly described how the 2015 presidential election was rigged in Northern Nigeria.
The religious forces that brought Buhari to power in 2015 intensified their efforts to ensure the continuation of Muslim rule in 2023, with the APC leadership deciding to foist a Muslim President and Muslim Vice President on the country after Buhari’s second term ended in 2023. From this point forward, politics shifted from competing ideas for public good to how a feudal-theocratic hegemony would share the country’s wealth.
Commercialization of Voting as Leadership Recruitment Another damaging factor in leadership recruitment in Nigeria is the commercialization of the electoral process. This begins with party candidate nominations and extends to the general election, where outright vote buying and selling occurs. In some cases, electoral bodies have been known to simply announce fake results that bear no resemblance to the actual voting, as seen in various elections.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it is impossible to ignore the current state of Nigeria’s leadership. Tinubu succeeded the most divisive Nigerian leader in recent history, former President Muhammadu Buhari. Despite this, the most pressing need for Nigeria remains the formation of a unified nation-state from hundreds of disparate and antagonistic groups. However, President Tinubu seems to have completely ignored this critical responsibility.
The clash of civilizations theory, as depicted by Samuel Huntington, is playing out tragically in Nigeria, where Islam and Christianity, each representing nearly half of the population, result in two nearly irreconcilable worldviews on how the country should be governed.
Unlike the balance of military power between Western and Islamic nations, Nigeria’s military dominance, particularly by Muslims, influences political dynamics. President Tinubu’s failure to address national security concerns and his reluctance to provide solutions to ethnic and religious divisions has exacerbated the country’s problems.
Moreover, critical issues like education, security, and the plight of displaced citizens, particularly those from the Middle Belt, remain unresolved under President Tinubu’s administration. The situation has led to the increasing pauperization of Nigeria’s population, evidenced by rising beggars, reminiscent of the almagiri phenomenon.
